Sample Chemical Engineering

Student Team PowerPoint for

Analysis
Your Role: You are a manager for Rice
Utility Production, and you missed the
meeting with the consultants design team.
You’ve been given their PowerPoint file.
You have to let the other two managers on
the committee know what you think of the
proposed design.
Sample Chemical Engineering
Student Team PowerPoint for
Analysis

Note: Throughout, orange slides like this

one will ask you questions to help you pick
out things you want to remember about
designing team PowerPoints.
For more help or background information: Making Logical Technical
Arguments PPT; Team Presentations in Chemical and Biomolecular
Engineering PPT
Acetone Production Plant
Design

December 2, 20__

Student Team A
From Ace Consultants
Project Motivation

 RiceUP - acetone requirement for

increased Anphal production

 Maintain ROI at higher production rate

Project Goals

 Increase Acetone Production by 30%

 Minimize Plant Costs

 Operating costs
 Additional capital purchasing costs
1. Reactor and Stripping Column
1. Reactor and Stripping Column
1. Reactor and Stripping Column
 In regard to the previous slide:

What was the point of the process

Sample Chemical Engineering
flow diagram you just saw? Is this
Student Team
the team’s PowerPoint for
recommended
design?
Analysis
What is the team trying to tell you
about their work?
Are you impressed by their design
so far? Why is it good?
Go back for a second look.
What should the heading be?
2. Acetone Purification
3. Isopropyl Alcohol Recovery Column
Process Specifications
 99.9% Pure Acetone

 90% Pure Hydrogen

 TOC<50 ppm in Waste Water Stream

Cost Analysis

 $243,000 /yr profit from given base

case

 ~1¢
per pound of acetone product profit
margin
In regard to the previous slide:

If these are the specifications, what

criteria will you be looking for in the
team’s design?
What does the team need to show you
to convince you the design will do
what is needed?
Did the team meet these requirements
in its design solution? How do you
know?
Modeling Issue
 UNIFAC VLE Model does not accurately
predict x-y diagram at high acetone
concentrations

 NRTL is best property package for

acetone/water binary system
 Based on DeChema VLE data
Options
 1) Use extractive distillation methods

 2)
Purchase 39MM lb acetone (open
market)

 3) Produce 97.6% acetone

1) Extractive Distillation
 3 Solvents
 1,2 dimethoxyethane (Diglyme)
 Acetonitrile
 N-Methylpyrrolidone (NMP)

 Case Study: Diglyme

 Prohibitive Cost
 $6.765 MM /yr to purchase Diglyme
 Additional Column
In regard to the previous slide:

•How do you know the cost of extractive

distillation Is prohibitive?

•Why is the Diglyme case of interest?

•Is an additional column a solution or

part of the cost?

•Is extractive distillation theh usual

method of making acetone?
2) Purchase Acetone
 Purchase 39 MM lb per year acetone
for $10.92 MM

 Shut down acetone production

 Minimize investment losses

In regard to the previous slide:

• How does the team know the cost will

be this much?

• What has been the cost trend for

acetone in the past?

• How much of a “loss” will be avoided?

• How do you know?

3) Produce 97.6% Acetone

 Need to add 3 heat exchangers

 Renegotiate deal?

 Break-even point
 In regard to the previous slide:

•What about the break-even

point?
•What would it cost to produce
acetone at this purity?
•Is that purity acceptable?
•What is this slide telling us
about
the option?
•What do these three bullet
points have in common?
Recommendations

 Buy acetone off open market

 Dissolve acetone production facility

 Recover maximum amount of lost $$

Conclusions
 Adjustment of property package identified
separation difficulty

 Possible solutions
 Extractive distillation
 Purchase acetone on the open market
 Renegotiate contract for lower acetone purity

 Purchase acetone on open market is best

In regard to the previous slide:

Why put the conclusion after the

recommendation?
TAKE AWAY POINTS
 Afterviewing this PowerPoint
What are your “take-away” lessons that
you will apply to your own PowerPoint
next time?
Notes
This team puts its conclusions at the end and did
not use informative headings on its process flow
diagrams. The headings do not outline the
argument.
A pitch that presented the recommendation first
and gave evidence of calculations to support
claims would have been more persuasive.
The PPT can’t reinforce the oral message or
persuade readers on its own.
For more help: Making Logical Technical Arguments PPT; Team
Presentations in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering PPT